Abraham Mathew, Annie Varkey and Abi N. Eido
Abstract
The effect of monosodium glutamate on the mitotic behavior of root tips of Allium cepa was studied. The food additive, commonly known as Ajinomoto is widely used as a flavoring agent in Chinese food. The root tips were treated with 100ppm, 250ppm, 500ppm, 750ppm and 1000ppm aqueous solution of monosodium glutamate for 2,4 and 6 hours.The chemical was found to decrease the mitotic index and induced chromosomal aberrations, spindle aberrations, cellular anomalies indicating its cytotoxicity and genotoxicity.